General Description

The Special Education Teacher in a Severe/Multiple Handicapped Classroom or Special Day Class shall report directly to the designated program administrator and assume responsibility for the implementation of students’ educational plans as well as serve as an integral member of the team which performs student assessments, designs instructional plans and reviews student program. The Special Education Teacher provides individual, small group and whole-class instruction as appropriate according to Federal, Master Plan, and school-level requirements for individuals with exceptional needs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possess and maintain a valid California Special Education credential to teach individuals with exceptional needs.
• Demonstrate competence in communicating effectively with children and parents, staff members and representatives of other agencies.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducts student assessment, designs individualized educational plans, implements appropriate instructional strategies and monitors progress on assigned students.
• Provides instruction to students using special techniques, equipment and materials as specified in the IEP and directs the work of classroom aides and volunteers as necessary.
• Assists in coordinating the various instructionally related services provided to students while maintaining significant responsibility for each student’s overall educational program.
• Establishes and maintains a classroom atmosphere and environment which responds to and, whenever possible, lessens the impact of the students’ handicapping conditions.
• Administers various assessment instruments to measure progress, determine placement and to update educational plans.
• Provides instruction in the areas of personal hygiene, social skills, physical development, safety skills, academic skills and vocational awareness skills depending upon age-group and needs of students.
• Provides information or support services to other programs that might help handicapped students adjust and/or integrate during their periods of transition.
• Confers with professional staff regarding behavior management planning and implements appropriate behavior modification techniques and classroom engineering principles in order to produce desirable individual student behaviors.
• Selects, adapts, constructs, checks and maintains instructional equipment and supplies appropriate to the program area, needs of students and safety concerns.
• Records pupil progress accurately and timely.
• Provides a positive learning environment that stimulates student learning and maintenance of skills.
• Supports the policies and programs of the Humboldt County Office of Education and performs assigned duties consistent with school, district or office policies, regulations and procedures.
• Maintains professional competency by actively engaging in employer directed inservice activities and other similar opportunities provided to staff.
• Cooperatively engages in the professional evaluation process with supervisor to ensure ongoing professional growth and competence.
• Effectively communicates with staff, parents, agencies and community members.
• Attends regular and special staff meetings and actively participates as a member of the educational team.
• Responds effectively to the input from and coordinates tasks with district/school personnel as required by assignment.
• Performs other related duties.

Physical Abilities

Special note regarding the physical demands of teaching: There is some degree of physical ability and exertion required of all teaching positions. Over time, the physical demands of any position are subject to change. Depending upon the particular assignment, teachers could be expected to:

• 1.Stand, sit and/or move about for sustained periods.
• Move about in non-traditional instructional environments; i.e.,areas of the community.
• Report to multiple worksites in a given day or during the work week.
• Communicate effectively in-person and via telephone and other electronic media to individuals and groups of varying sizes.
• Exercise physical control over students who are acting out and/or offer physical assistance to students who might be themselves physically impaired.
• Conduct instructional programs within pre-designated break periods and time schedules.
• Maintain an appropriate personal demeanor during periods of heightened stress created by outside factors not always within the ability of the teacher to control at the time.

The Humboldt County Office of Education is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. Consistent with that philosophy is the receptivity to consider requests to modify the traditional modes of delivering instructional services to reasonably accommodate an individual’s disabilities as long as the quality of the program offered remains consistent with the standards established by the office.For further information concerning the specific requirements of any particular assignment, please contact the Personnel Office.

10/21/92:gj | Retyped 01/31/06:sg